India

Mahesh Murthy Gets Anticipatory Bail In Sexual Harassment Case

Seedfund managing partner and angel investor Mahesh Murthy has been granted anticipatory bail in a molestation case filed by a Delhi-based woman, according to Murthy’s latest tweet.

Murthy was arrested by the Mumbai police earlier on Friday, 9 February. Murthy also took to Twitter to say that this was an attempt to counter-sue and that the Mumbai High Court had already passed an interim order in his favour in April 2017.

After several complaints, including one filed by the National Commission of Women (NCW), the Mumbai police on 4 January had registered a case against Murthy, The Indian Express reported.

A cognisable offence had been registered against Murthy at Mumbai’s Khar police station then. The NCW had earlier written to Maharashtra's Director General of Police regarding the alleged use of objectionable, derogatory, and sexual remarks and obscene signs by the investor on social media platforms against the complainant and several other women, the commission said in a press note, reported PTI.

The misconduct was first highlighted by FactorDaily in April last year, which prompted many other women to recount their own stories going as far back as 2003. The complainants included a government officer, a journalist, and an HR professional, among others.

According to The Indian Express, in April 2017, a woman had accused Murthy of sexual harassment 13 years earlier at a cafe in Mumbai. Murthy had later denied the allegation as “absolute and complete lies.”

The allegations gained momentum during the #metoo campaign when several women had accused Murthy of misconduct. Murthy had put out an apology titled ‘The confessions of a serial offender’ on his blog on Medium.

The case against Murthy is registered under Sections 354(D), 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 67 of the IT Act. IPC Section 354(D) pertains to stalking, while Section 509 deals with word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman. Section 67 of the IT Act deals with obscene material in electronic form, The Indian Express stated.